Light In The Dark
by MidnightCarnival
Summary: Shard has seen the darkest of humanity, a darkness that has cost her memory of everything, including her true name. Once a lab experiment, she has been running from a past that seeks to make her a weapon incapable of emotion or choice. Vincent/oc rewrite
1. Prologue

_Vincent,_

_You always told me to look at a battle from every possible angle, and then make your move. But what about battles that were lost from the beginning? I know you don't believe in an un-winnable battle, but…_

_You once told me I wasn't a monster, that monsters didn't feel compassion or remorse, never showed mercy. But Vincent, if by some off chance I do live, I will be a monster. Any humanity left in my soul will be torn away by men and women in white coats, and greedy criminals._

_I want you to know I never cried out, never apologized. I fought every step of the way which in the end is all you could ever ask of me. Because, at least for a few days, I was able to finally rest in the net of compassion, honor, love, and happiness that was the collective of you and our friends. _

_I am tired. It takes all that I have to keep my eyes from sliding shut. It strikes me so odd that some people can inflict such pain and yet still call themselves human, while I am treated as something less._

_It seems strange my life should end in such a terrible place, but I had at least one moment of happiness, and I will never apologize. _

_Vincent Valentine, you are truly a single point of light in a mad world._ _I love you._

_- Shard _


	2. Edge of the mind

**(AN: Shard has shoulder length dark blue hair that she wears down except for a small braid on the left of her face, dark blue eyes that turn into cat slits when shes in distress or pain, and is a bit pale. Her outfit is a dark blue sleeveless trench coat, black torn leggings, black shorts, a silver glove on her left hand, and a black zip up t-shirt.) **

"Hey watch it!" A man yells, jarring me from my thoughts.

"Sorry." I mumble, moving off of the sidewalk in the busy streets of Edge.

The metal city looms around me, and although ugly, was less of an eyesore than Midgar. Edge had no plate to blot out the sun, and much less pollution to befoul the air.

I only just arrived to Edge, and was quite hungry from the journey, but I was out of gill. Being on the run as I have tends to be tiring on the wallet, not that I would mind if it were not for the occasional necessity of food.

Normally I would simply hunt. That was what my crossbow was for after all. But the area surrounding Edge was a wasteland at best, and full of fiends in lue of more edible creatures.

With a tired sigh, I drop my old leather pack and twin katanas up against a shop wall, and pull my weathered violin out of my pack, along with a old tin bowl I found a while back for people to toss Gill.

The Violin was in rough condition, but in my opinion it gave the instrument character. Each scuff and scratch held memory for me, and the worn wood was smooth and warm under my fingers. Unlike the daunting cold surface of polished wood.

Recalling a song I had written, I begin to sing and play. My fingers run flowingly over the strings, and my voice holds a deep sultry tone.

"Now I've come to cry"  
>Shed your skin to rest my naked eye<br>And criticize  
>All that I implore<br>Seems to be one foot outside that door  
>Coming between me and waking"<p>

A crowd slowly begins to gather to listen, a few put a small amount of Gill into the tin bowl.

Underneath the corset of your mystery  
>Piece by piece undress you from your history<br>I'm sleeping with seclusion in sweet disarray

You can go heavy on me  
>And I will not weigh you down, down, down<br>You can be steady and clean  
>I can take it<br>Heavy on me  
>And i will not weigh you down<p>

Born unto this pride  
>Silence is something you can't hide<br>You can't deny...us  
>Nothing has been said<br>Yet so many words have filled my head  
>Now they completely surround me<p>

Tie the lines of honest conductivity  
>Caught between the center of our gravity<br>I don't have that much time to burn anymore

**(AN: Song is Heavy by Holly Brook.)**

As the last words fall from my lips and the humming of the violin comes to a stop, the crowd that had gathered applauds. A few toss a bit of gill into the tin before heading on their way.

Counting out the gill, I find I only have enough for maybe two meals at best.

'I guess I won't be staying in Edge as long as expected.' I think wearily while shoving my belongings back into my pack, and re-strapping my katanas to my back.

'30 Gill won't keep me for long.' I think glumly, tossing my pack over my shoulder so that it bumps my swords as I walk.

I need to eat soon, I was getting way to thin, and soon my body would start to eat away at my muscles. 110lbs was not was not a good weight for a person 5ft 8in.

"Give it back!" A shrill voice permeates the air. It sounds like a young girl, I start walking in the direction the shout came from.

"Give it back to her!" a more masculine voice calls, and I'm now close enough to see what the problem is.

Three older boys have cornered a young girl and boy against an old bake shop. One of the older boys is holding a pink hair ribbon above the heads of the other two children with an amused expression. I assume the hair ribbon belongs to the little girl since her hair is hanging messily around her.

The little girl looks close to tears as the boy stands protectively in front of her, his blue eyes blazing with anger as the boys dangle the ribbon just out of arms reach. The boy makes a grab for the ribbon only to be shoved backwards, nearly bowling over the little girl who has now begun to cry.

I make my steps silent, and sneak up behind the offending youths, plucking the ribbon out of their hands as they dangle it over the children's heads.

"Hey!" the youth spins around along with his friends, and I send them a scowl that could curdle milk.

"Now," I start, fingering the ribbon as the youths look at me fearfully. "I'm sure you have better things to do they bother these two." I gesture to the children.

"So why don't you be on your way." I say mockingly, and the youths nod hurriedly before running into an alleyway, one tripping over his own feet on the way.

"I walk up to the little girl and boy, and place the ribbon into the girls hand. She sniffs, and smiles happily up at me. "Thank you lady." She says sweetly, and the boy smiles up at me as well.

"Yeah thanks." He says, "My names Denzel, and this is Marlene." I nod to them, and seeing one of the boys peeking around the corner of the alleyway, I gesture for the children to follow me.

"Why don't you come over here, I wouldn't want them." I gesture to the boy peeking past the wall. "To bother you as soon as I left." The children nod, and follow me to a bench outside of the park. The little girl yanks on the edge of my dress, and I look down at her quizzically, she smiles, and holds out her ribbon.

"Can you fix my hair?" She asks timidly, and I smile with a nod.

We end up sitting there for an hour, chatting and messing with each others hair. I was now sporting three new little braids placed randomly in my hair, and Marlene managed to even get a braid in Denzel's hair. Much to his annoyance.

I look up at the darkening sky, and smile at the two children. "I should get you two home, I don't want you walking alone in the dark." The children nod, leading me along, while bubbling happily about two people named Cloud and Tifa, who I assume to be their parents.

My eyebrow quirks when I see their home is a bar called 7th Haven. "You live in a bar?" I ask surprised, the two nod, and pull me by my ungloved hand through the door.

"Tifa!" Marlene calls, and a woman walks out from behind a bar wiping a glass in her hands.

The woman is very pretty with long black hair, and reddish brown eyes. I also notice she is quite busty, though her outfit doesn't throw it in your face. She smiles at the children and looks at me curiously.

"Who's this guys?" She asks while looking me over.

The two run the story of how I saved them from the bullies, and how we talked and fixed each others hair, Tifa laughed at the part about Denzel's braid, and smiled at me.

"Thank you so much for helping them…" I smile

"Shard. Shard East." Tifa quirks an eyebrow at the strange name, but otherwise says nothing.

"Hey Shard, why don't you stay here tonight?" Marlene asks excitedly, and I shrug.

"How much a night?" I ask Tifa, and she waves a hand at me.

"On the house, consider it payment for helping these two." She says while ruffling Denzel's hair affectionately.

I smile. "A good deed does not need payment, but I shall take you up on your offer."


	3. Kiss The Rain

**Chapter Two**

_~Dream~_

_White coats walk around my 18 year old body the same way a praetor examines its prey. I am bloodied from a beating I took when I tried to escape through the window in my cell. I was now sporting a swollen lip, black eye, fractured rib, and slices up and down my body._

_The bane of my existence, Doctor Jin, pulls the straps around me, securing me to the cold metal table. My skin prickles and tiny shivers rake my bare form. Jin grabs my left arm and straps it away from my body. A terrible sense of foreboding fills me. _

_Then I see it…_

_The golden claw like prosthetic._

_I scream as the blade is lowered to my arm._

_~End Dream~_

I launch out of bed, and look around my room with wide eyes, sweat dribbling down my face and causing my dark blue hair to stick to my skin.

Once I am certain of my safety I sit down on the bed wearily. A look at the clock tells me it is not yet six, and I run a hand over my face.

I glare at my gloved hand with disdain, before yanking off the leather glove. I hate the claw with all my being.

It is well crafted, and it shines dimly in the light of the waning moon. I flex the fingers on the contraption before forming a fist.

It's so much easier to be angry than sad.

I walk down the stairs around 7, and find Tifa is already in the kitchen, she smiles up at me.

"Its nice to see I'm not the only early riser. How would you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled is fine." I reply, sitting down in one of the bar stools. The smell of butter and eggs causes my mouth to water.

I find the bar surprisingly homey feeling. The windows filter in warm light that reveals swirling dust motes that reminds me of a dancers movements. Framed pictures fill the wall, full of people and places I doubt I would ever see.

Heavy footsteps sound on the stairs, and I turn to see a blonde haired man in black yawning hugely as he walks up to the bar, he pauses when he sees me.

Deciding I don't want to have to deal with that awkward "" thing, I smile at him and hold put my ungloved human hand.

"Hello, my name is Shard East." The blond with gravity defying hair takes my hand in his and gives it an almost timid shake, "Cloud Strife."

I nod, "A pleasure to meet you Cloud." Tifa smiles at me from over by the stove.

"Cloud lives here with me and the kids, making deliveries." I eye the blonde.

"You're a delivery boy?" I ask with a smile in my voice. Cloud rubs the back of his neck.

"Er, yeah. Its Strife Delivery." He says a bit shyly. I can't help but like Cloud. He has such an intimidating form, with such a concerned and shy spirit.

We ate our breakfast in relative silence. The only sound was the clinking of silverware against plates, and Tifa's occasional question to me.

None of Tifa's questions were prying, for which I was grateful. Questions about where I grew up and my family were lies that easily fell from my mouth.

"I grew up in Junon, I left when I was 18 after my parents passed." I lie easily, just putting the right amount of sadness in my tone.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Tifa says sympathetically and Cloud nods in agreement. I shrug.

"It was almost 5 years ago, I accepted it and moved on." I frown mentally at my own lie. In truth I had no idea if my parents were still alive, or if I ever had any. Memories such as that were locked off to me, and I doubted that I would ever remember or move on. I suppose my past was like dust in my hands. It slowly filtered through my fingers until it all disappeared in the wind. Leaving me empty handed…

Cloud left soon after on a delivery, much to Tifa's apparent disappointment, though she didn't voice it. I then helped Tifa cook for Marlene and Denzel, the two finished eating quickly, and were currently clinging to my legs.

"Shard! Can you come play with us today?" Marlene asks excitedly, and I shake my head.

"I have to be going today." I say simply and both of the children frown.

"Why can't you just stay here?" Marlene asks, pouting.

"I don't have the money to stay in Edge any longer." I reply, and Marlene perks up.

"You can stay here. Tifa can give you a job."

"I'll give a job to who?" Tifa asks, coming around the corner. Marlene and Denzel run over to her immediately.

"Can you give Shard a job so she'll stay with us?" Marlene and Denzel ask simultaneously, and I internally grimace. They really were putting Tifa on the spot, and it was making me a bit uncomfterble.

Tifa looks at me speculatively. "What are your skills."

I'm a bit confused about what I can tell her. I doubt I can say "Oh you know, just 13 years as a lab experiment." It would not bode well…. "Well," I start, rubbing my arm nervously."I can play instruments, sing, and fight." I say, and Tifa perks up curiously.

"What kind of instruments can you play?" "Piano and violin. Though I'm best with violin…" Tifa grins.

"Can you show me?" She asks curiously, and I shrug. It couldn't hurt.

I quickly grab my Violin from my room, and settle myself on one of the bar stools. Marlene and Denzel eagerly place themselves around me to listen while Tifa smiles encouragingly.

I play first (AN: Kiss the rain by Yiruma) A slightly melancholy tune. I fall into a state where I can no longer separate my own self from the music my hands are weaving. As soon as it begins though, its over, and Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel are all giving me awed looks. I smile shyly, and lower the violin from my shoulder.

"You're hired." Tifa says instantly and I look at her surprised. Tifa smiles at me kindly.

"I've needed help in the bar for a while now since business has been up, and you can play on the slower nights for customers. You can stay in a spare room in the back if you want, and your meals will be on the house."

I'm shocked that Tifa is offering all this, and I want to take the offer. I suppose it would be safe to settle down somewhere for a while, I haven't run into anyone from DeX for a while…

"Ok, Thank you." Tifa smiles hugely at me, and Marlene and Denzel each grab one of my hands, I tense when Denzel squeezes my gloved claw curiously.

"Wow your hand is really hard." He comments, but thankfully, doesn't push the subject. He just continues to squeeze my claw curiously as the two lead me to a room at the back of the bar.

The room is simple, though I'm not complaining, I prefer simple surroundings. The floor was made of simple wooden floor boards, the walls were simple concert, and there was a single window for light. Looking at the ceiling, I notice a hatch, which I assume leads to the roof. There is a bathroom on the right, a single bed with a soft looking blue comforter, a wooden dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp.

"Hope you like the room, you'll love it here." Marlene says in her sweet way, and I smile down at her.

Denzel and Marlene leave me to get settled. I toss my pack on the bed with my twin swords, and riffle through my pack for my few belongings. I place my violin with my twin katanas at the end of the bed for easy access should the need arise, and place my tin box with my small amount of Gil in the nightstand. My only other belongings are an old leather-bound notebook which I wrote my songs and thoughts and occasionally drew in, and my dog tags.

I run my finger over the raised letters on the metal of the dog tags. It simply says "Project Shard ID #23" I clench the metal in my fist before throwing it harder than necessary into the nightstand drawer.

I flop down onto my bed and stare unseeingly at the ceiling. Would I only be known as Shard? Simply an experiment meant to further the ambitions of a select few individuals? I run over a number of names in my head but none of them seem to fit. Names like Mary, Sora, Alex, and Claire didn't sound like me at all. I wonder if I even had a family to name me in the first place.

My brow sets in determination at this though and my hands clench into fists.

No. I wouldn't fall into despair, because whatever my name, I would still be me.


	4. A Claw To Match My Own

**(AN: A little bit darker this chapter. I kid of wanted to demonstrate Shard's skill in a battle situation, so yes there will be some violence. You have been warned.)**

Time passes by even when it seems impossible. I never thought I would ever be truly happy somewhere.

I have been at Tifa's bar for a week now, and I truly feel welcome. Tifa showed me how to make certain types of drinks, and I now had quite a few admirers amongst the bars usually crowd due to the nights I played music.

I didn't have a incredible voice in the least, in truth it was very average and a bit deep. It was largely my songs that I wrote that drew people in.

According to Tifa, there was a rumor going around that she had hired a blue haired siren that stole the hearts of weaker men with her sweet song. Business actually went up after that, much to Tifa's amusement.

None of the admirers were really too serious though. They were easily dissuaded by a few small words of disinterest, and no one was ever too crestfallen. Not to mention I was often confused by many concepts of society due to growing up in a laboratory.

Cloud and I got along well also. Neither of us were big talkers which suited us both fine, and we would occasionally spar with our blades. Though I never really used my full strength, not wanting to have him asking questions. And due to the strange injections I received, my eyes did not have the mako glow.

Marlene and Denzel were easily the best part of my day. They saw everything in the most uncomplicated way that I found so comforting. They were content to just be around those they considered friends.

"Shard?" I look up from the glass I was polishing, To see Tifa holding an envelope out to me. Hesitantly, I take it, and find it is a paycheck.

"Tifa this is too much." I say upon seeing the amount is for 95 Gil. Tifa just gives me a stern look.

"It is not too much, you have been working plenty hard, and I did take out some for room and board. Plus you really need to go shopping. You can't patch those clothes forever." I look down at my clothes in confusion. I've had this outfit plenty long, and I liked it.

Tifa gives me a small push towards the door, and I nearly stumble. "Go on; go do a little something for yourself. I don't want to see you back here till you have bought at least one thing."

With a sigh, I pull on my trench coat, and walk out into the streets of Edge.

I frown at many of the shop windows I pass, not understanding what many of the products are for. Sure I understood what the products use was, I just didn't understand why people did. Things like high heels looked uncomfortable, chocolate looked generally unappetizing, and jewelry seemed useless and gaudy.

In the end, I end up with a new journal, some polish for my katanas and violin, Hair scissors, a book of poems, a hairbrush, some drawing pencils, and a drawing pad. Maybe I could fill the walls of my bare room with some drawings?

Looking at the sun, I realize it is getting late. The setting sun sends orange and red light upon the buildings like massive ribbons have been laid over the city. I start to head back to the bar.

When I'm about halfway back, I sense someone following me. Looking back, I see it's a group of five street youths probably each barely about 18.

I don't feel like fighting tonight, and I had left my swords back at the bar anyway. Sure I was skilled in hand to hand, and I had the claw, but honestly I didn't want to be put in the situation.

In the end, it didn't really matter what I wanted as I was eventually cornered by the young men, and they had violence in their eyes. I consider melding into the shadows around me –another one of my "talents"- but decide against it. The last thing I need is a bunch of rumors going around about a vanishing girl.

The most muscled of the group with dark brown hair cracks his knuckles as he speaks. "Alright lady, hand over any cash you got and we may leave ya alone." His cronies laugh as though the brute just said something incredibly funny.

With a roll of my eyes, I casually take out my remaining 20 Gil, and throw it at the feet of the group. They quickly pocket it, but just as I feared, they do not leave.

"That's an awful small amount." The dark haired boy admonishes, as he pulls out a small dagger. "How much you think she'll go for on the market?" He asks one of the cronies, and I frown.

I had heard Edge had an underground human trafficking ring, and to be honest it made me sick to my stomach. The very idea that some people could place their lives above others for the simple purpose of money made me absolutely livid. I now had no qualms about fighting theses men.

I set down my bag against the wall and crack my knuckles, and I swiftly run to the first man, and hit him with my clawed had before he can blink.

A loud crack reverberates off the buildings, and the large man collapses to the ground, dead.

To their credit, the rest of the group moves relatively fast, pulling out small useless weapons, such as daggers, chains, fists, and a decrepit handgun.

The man with the gun fires, and I easily dodge. His aim is atrocious. I dart forward, and incapacitate him with a blindingly fast kick to the knee that sends his leg bending over the opposite way. The skin on the back of his knee splits open as his bone pierces through. I silence his screams with a blow to the head.

The remaining three are absolute shaking now. I glare at them evilly. "Leave." I hiss. "Now." They instantly take off, completely abandoning their friends.

"Cowards!" I spit, and gather my belongings. Walking a bit quickly due to my general agitation from the fight.

Tifa gives me a concerned look as I enter the bar, but doesn't stop me on the way up to my room.

Sometimes I just need to be left alone.

A knock at the my door sounds just as I've finished tapeing my latest drawing on the wall.

"Come in." Tifa walks into my doorway.

"Shard, we have some friends visiting tonight, don't worry their real nice. Just be prepared for some….." Tifa trails off with an amused expression, and I raise a eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, they are an interesting bunch, and well, I thought it would be cool if you met them." She says, her garnet eyes hold no deception, only excitement and kindness.

"Sure." I say, not wanting to disappoint the ever kind Tifa. "I'll meet them…."

I hope I wasn't making a poor choice….

I look up from my book occasionally from my place in the corner to look at Tifa.

She seems genuinely excited to see her friends again. She's moving about the bar straightening things needlessly in that way of hers that I have learned means either she's nervous or excited. Though every once in a while she looks towards the stairs and frowns, clearly wanting Cloud to be down her instead of locked in his office.

Cloud had been excited to sees his friends again, that much I could tell. But he seemed so haunted most of the time that I figured it was hard for him to focus on his own commitments.

Just then the bar door flies open, hitting the wall with a thud that causes me to jump.

"Yo, Teef's!" Shouts a large black man with a gun arm, that causes me to think of my claw. Tifa smiles hugely and embraces the man fondly.

"Barrett!" She greets happily, and I cant help but feel out of place. It's at that moment the man notices me. He frowns in thought.

"Whos blue girl?" He asks, bordering on rudness, and Tifa smacks his arm.

"This is Shard East. She's my new employee and friend." She introduces me, and Barrett nods to me in greeting.

"Well, nice meetin ya and all, but where's my little girl Teef's?"

"Probably scared her off with all the damm noise you're makin!" I turn, seeing the new speaker is a tall blonde man with slicked back hair held back with goggles, with a cigarette in his mouth and spear in hand.

"Cant you be nice to anyone old man?" A girl says as she walks in the door.

I observe the energetic looking girl. She's clearly Wutai, what with her tan skin and ninja attire. Her hair is black and cut short, held back by a headband. Her outfit is almost non existent with her short shorts and tank top, but she is clearly a warrior with the massive shruiken on her back.

The man with the cigarette glares at the ninja. "Stop calling me a Fucking old man, brat!" The ninja simply sticks out her tongue.

I notice that Barrett and Tifa took the moment to make their escape up the stairs, leaving me alone with the two strangers who were now giving me curious looks.

The man with the cigarette looks at me for a moment with narrowed eyes before removing the cancerous stick from his mouth.

"So, who the hell are you?" The ninja smacks the mans arm, and the man glares at her.

"What the hell brat!" He exclaims, rubbing the arm. The ninja crosses her arms impatiently.

"Are you completely socially retarded? You can't just say crap anytime you want!" The man grumbles something that sounds a lot like "You mean like you do?" But the ninja just ignores him, bouncing over to me.

"Sorry about Cid, he's just a grouch all the time." The man in question frowns, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"I'm Yuffie! Greatest ninja in all of Wutai!" I raise a brow at her title, and the man named Cid rolls his eyes.

"I'm Shard. Shard East."

"The hell kind of name is that?" Cid asks, and I shrug.

"My name I suppose." And Yuffie grins.

"Well I think it's a cool name! Kind of mysterious or something! By the way your hair is awesome. Why is it blue? It would be so cool if I had blue hair! But then people would probably confuse us as sisters or something, though you're a lot taller and I…." Yuffie babbles on while bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of her feet.

Cid is rubbing his temples as she continues to talk, and to be honest, its beginning to irritate me too.

"Yuffie, do try not to overwhelm people." I look to the door, and to my shock, a massive red animal with a flaming tail is standing in the doorway. Yuffie squeals so loud it causes my ears to ring, and latches onto the animal in a hug.

"Red!" She says excitedly, and the animal chuckles.

"Yes child, it is I." Cid glances at the creature called Red with a nod.

"Good to see ya Red." Red prys himself out of Yuffie's grasp, and looks over at me. I watch curiously as he stands so that he is but a foot in front of me.

He sniffs and I see his eyes become deep with thought before a civil expression comes on his features.

"Hello, I am Nanaki or Red." I cock my head to the side.

"Which name would you prefer I address you?" A small smile comes to the creatures lips.

"I have grown accustom to both, but Nanaki was the name I was born with." I nod thoughtfully.

"Then I shall address you as Nanaki. I am Shard East." Nanaki Smiles and bows his head in greeting.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss East." Nanaki says, and Cid stubs out his cigarette on the table.

"Not on my tables Cid!" The man in question jumps at the sound of Tifa's rebuff, who had come down the stairs with Cloud and Barrett just in time to see Cid stab out the cigarette.

We all chuckle at Cid's expense. He glares at us all. "The hell you laughing at!" He demands, but I can tell by the slight color in his cheeks that he's embarrassed.

Yuffie then tackles both Cloud and Tifa with hugs, and Barrett yanks her off, holding her in the air by the strap fir her weapon much to our amusement and the Ninjas protests.

When Yuffie does manage to wiggle lose, she glares at all of us, before her look becomes confused.

"Wasn't Vince supposed to be here by now? Maybe we should look for him?" She says in concern.

"No need. I am here." A deep monotone voice says, and we all turn at the same time to view the speaker.

The man is tall with long black messy hair that looks like it hadn't been cared for in a while. He wears a tattered red cape with a high collar that covers his mouth with multiple buckles, and he wears black leather clothes underneath. His red eyes are piercing, and his skin is as white as a sheet.

But the thing that strikes me most about him is the gleaming golden claw….

I feel my heart speed up as I rest my eyes on it and all the blood rushes out of my face. My breaths become almost none existent, and my limbs feel cold.

My book falls out of my hands and I close my eyes as though that would stop the horrifying reality from settling in my mind.

I was not the only one.

**(AN: OH NO'S! How will Shard deal with this? Sorry bout the cliffy, but I made this chapter extra long to make up for it. **


	5. Rest Your Eyes

**VPOV**

I watch as the blue haired woman drops her book and closes her eyes, Tifa places a hand on the woman's shoulder in concern.

"Shard?" Tifa asks, shaking the woman's shoulder. I raise an eyebrow at the strange name.

'**I like the name; normal human names are too dull.' **Chaos muses, but I simply ignore him. I take in the woman's -whose name is apparently Shard- appearance.

She is a tall woman, with pale skin and dark blue almost black short hair that ends at her shoulder blades. I notice it is cut in a choppy manner as though she cut it herself and on the left of her face is a small braid. She wears a dark blue long sleeved shirt, and a pair of torn black leggings under a pair of black shorts. Oddly, she wears a single long black leather glove on her arm.

The woman opens her eyes –which I notice are a dark stormy blue- and smiles weakly at Tifa.

"Sorry, I must be a bit tired." She says, but I can tell it's a lie. My short time as a Turk taught me to be able to spot a lie, because sometimes that lie could kill you.

Tifa still looks worried, but nods, and hands the woman Shard the book she dropped.

The group quickly moves on after that. Drinking and reminiscing about times past and discussing current activities.

Yuffie quickly fell into a conversation with Shard about materia. The blue haired woman was surprisingly knowledgeable about the subject, but she seemed to be this way with a variety of topics.

"Cid, on your airship, do you use dual or triple headers on the transitory engine?" she had asked after Cid had complained about an oil leakage problem with the butterfly valves.

The grizzled pilot had raised a brow at the woman. "Triple, just replaced them with the dual, why?" The woman's face became thoughtful.

"Well, with large engines, triple headers need much less oil in order to turn the butterfly valves. Did you tell your crew to lower the dose?" Cid's mouth had hung open for a moment, his cigarette dangling precariously on his lip.

When he regained his wits, he gave her a friendly slap on the shoulder and proclaimed it was nice to have "Someone with a god dammed brain around."

I watched her silently; it seemed that even though she was overall quiet everyone seemed to enjoy her company. She would answer when spoken too, and offer advice and comments when needed. She had an overall aura of soft-spoken kindness.

Nanaki seemed to like her fairly well, though he would occasionally sniff the air around her and frown in thought. Shard always addressed him as Nanaki instead of the Red which seemed to immediately put her on his good side. Not to mention she displayed the quiet intelligence that he admired. Nanaki was never one for constant conversation, and seemed to prefer sparse intelligent chat to long winded conversations.

Barrett seemed to like her since he was happy that Marlene had a friend in the blue haired woman.

Yuffie seemed to find her too controlled and quiet. She even made several comparisons of her to me, saying "Maybe Shard is related to vampy, she's soo quiet!" Though the fact Shard was knowledgeable about materia definitely excited Yuffie, not to mention the ninja seemed genuily fascinated by her.

Cid didn't say much to her, but seemed to have taken a shine to her due to her mechanical knowledge. Anyone with any mechanical knowledge was ok in Cid's book.

Tifa would occasionally look over to see how she was doing in that caring way of hers. You could tell just how she behaved around the woman that she considered her a dear friend. Tifa always was one to make friends quickly and easily. Tifa had an uncanny ability to look past all of the dirt and grim of life to see the true spirit of someone.

Cloud seemed fairly indifferent at first glance, but there was definitely a spark of comradiery in his eye when he looked at Shard. An impressive feat to break through the tough shell of the man.

I myself didn't know what to make of the woman. Her body appears at ease whilst her eyes occasionally dart around the room as though searching for danger, and oddly her eyes seem to darken and lighten periodically

'**I think she'd be a good mate for you host.' **I sigh, and Chaos chuckles but it sounds more like a growl.

' **Do you not find her attractive?'**

'She's quite lovely.'

'**So what's the problem?' **I hold back a growl, and tune Chaos out. Chaos was always making crude comments about the women around me, though he would often say that they could never hold a candle to female demons.

"So is that okay with you Vincent?" Tifa asks, and I nod unknowingly, not wanting to seem unaware.

Tifa claps her hands together. "So that settles it. Cid and Cloud will share one room, Barrett and Nanaki another, Yuffie and I can share, and Vincent can stay in Shard's room." Chaos laughs loudly in my head as my mind reels at the information.

'**Looks like you may have a shot with the human female after all!' **I grit my teeth to keep from yelling aloud, and Shard cocks her head to the side when she notices the growing discomfort on my face.

I shake my head at her, and she nods once, starting towards the stairs. I move to follow, but a tug on my cloak stops me. Turning, I see it is Nanaki who has snagged my cloak.

"My apologies Vincent, but I must speak with you." He says quietly, releasing my cloak. I nod, and Nanaki looks at me very seriously.

"I am concerned about this woman Shard. She reeks of chemicals and mako, much like you or Cloud." He whispers, and my eyes widen slightly.

"Are you certain?" I ask quietly, and Nanaki nods.

"She seems like a good person, but be careful until we learn more. I will speak to the others about this later on." I nod in acknowledgement, and follow after the blue haired woman's retreating form.

**SPOV**

Vincent and I walk up to my room silently with me in the lead since he doest know which room. Vincent moves silently, but I can still feel his gaze burning into the back of my skull. Needless to say, I am thankful to finally reach my room, only to almost run directly into Tifa.

"Oh, sorry." She says. "Just setting up Vincent's bed." I nod, and Tifa smiles.

"Well, night Shard, Vincent. I have to go make sure Cid and Yuffie aren't fighting again." She finishes with a playful roll of the eyes, before bustling back down the hallway. I shake my head fondly. That woman was too motherly for her own good.

Walking into my room, I see that Tifa has set up a portable, yet still comfy bed on the opposite side of the room from mine. I turn to the red clad gunman and point to the dresser.

"The bottom two draws are empty if you'd like to use them." I say as kindly as possible, but Vincent's gaze remains emotionless and piercing. I shrug, and noticing one of my katanas lying on the floor, I quickly move to pick it up. Setting it back upright at the foot of my bed.

"Can you use those?" Vincent says from directly behind me, almost causing me to jump. I spin on my heel to face him.

"Indeed I can. My ability is on par with Cloud's." Vincent raises a brow at this, and turns his attention to my drawing covered walls.

"You can also draw?" I nod, and I notice him paying particular attention to a drawing of a long haired woman standing under an apple tree.

"Yes, drawing is one of the keenest pleasures I have ever known. Secondary only to my violin." At this his gaze drops to the violin case leaning against my nightstand, and a twitch of a grin crosses his face.

"You have many interests." He deadpans, and I smile with dark humor.

"I had a lot of time on my hands when I was younger." There really wasn't much else to do but read, train and draw when you're locked in a lab.

The scientists at DeX always encouraged my reading and drawing. They wanted me to be capable of a higher thought process and problem solving. Though it was unnecessary since my IQ was already much higher than normal children at a very early age, I did not complain. Stories of far off lands and adventure kept me sane in those dark days.

Vincent's gaze burns into me with the intensity one would have when trying to solve a difficult problem and it makes me a bit uncomfortable to be under such intense scrutiny.

"Where were you raised?" He asks suddenly, and I raise an eyebrow and answer slowly.

"Junon, why?" Vincent doesn't show any expression or give any response as he looks back to my drawings.

I sigh and take off my trench coat and boots, but leave on my leggings and long sleeved shirt. I don't want Vincent to see the many scars adorning my body, nor do I want to hear his questions regarding them. I also leave my long glove covering my claw on for obvious reasons.

Vincent raises a brow as I climb into bed so covered up in clothing but doesn't say anything as I snap of the light, and nestle into the bed. Falling once more into the depravity of dreams.


	6. Somewhere I Belong

**AN: Vincent needs redemption, Cloud needs friends, Cid needs Cigarettes, Yuffie needs materia, and I need reviews! Come on and click that little button! **

**VPOV**

I watch Shard out of the corner of my eye as I lay in the dark room. She is a surprisingly motionless sleeper. Her only real movement being the steady rise and fall of her chest.

'**I think you just like to watch her, host.'** I sigh quietly as Chaos's voice sounds once more in my mind.

'Can you never leave me be?' I ask, exasperated, and Chaos chuckles.

'**As much as I would love to be freed of your puny body, we're stuck together.'**

A mummer from the sleeping woman grabs my attention, and I watch as her brow furrows, as if in pain.

I wonder if she suffers nightmares. It would make sense if she really is an ex-experiment as Nanaki suspects.

I frown at the idea. Humans were not supposed to be lab rats. Never was one human meant to rule so freely over another. My claw clenches into a fist as I think of Hojo.

I wonder who her Hojo was, or if it was Hojo himself who used her. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, what with all of the many lives he destroyed in his too long life. May he rest in pieces indeed.

Chaos grumbles restlessly at my thoughts as he has heard them many times over my far too long life span, but I could really care less. Let the demon suffer a little of the discomfort that plagues me for once.

"Blood….burning…cut off….." Shard mummers and my ears prick to hear more, but she remains silent. Her hands clench into fists at her sides, and she turns over with a look of pain on her sleeping face.

"Lab…..hate it…mako…" She murmurs again before turning over once more.

Yes, I had no more doubts as to her origins. No one willingly dreams of labs and mako, except perhaps Hojo, that devil.

'**Why do you even care what she dreams about, host?' **Chaos asks lazily, and I feel a pang of guilt.

Surely I wasn't that cold to the pain of others?

"Who am I?" This question falls so clearly from Shard's lips that for a moment I believe she must have awakened, but she once again sighs, and turns over, clearly asleep.

The moonlight seeps through the curtains falling upon her form, giving her the appearance of an apparition. Still looking at her form, I allow my eyes to slide shut, and fall into my own nightmares.

**SPOV**

Morning comes once again too early as I am awakened by the light of a rising sun hitting me directly in my eyes.

My nightmares were bad as usually. Dreams of my arm being sawed off for my claw, mako injections that burned my blood and left me petrified of needles, and wondering about my own hidden origins.

Sitting up in my bed, I notice Vincent has already left. His sheets left in a tangled heap on the floor.

I rub the back of my neck to work out the kinks as I set my feet on the still icy floor. I pad over to the mess of Vincent's sheets and smooth them out over his bed before going about my own morning routine.

Going over to my dresser, I pull out one of the three outfits I own. A long sleeved black t-shirt, silver leggings, black shorts, and of course my knee length black boots. I decide to leave my trench coat off today as it is a bit warm looking outside.

Walking down the stairs I see everyone is already there eating breakfast while Tifa cooks. I immediately help her with the cooking for which she thanks me. Cooking for this many people can't be easy.

"Hey Shard!" Yuffie calls from her spot next to an annoyed looking Vincent and Cid . "Do you have any materia? You know so much about it, surely you have some?"

I raise a brow in confusion at the question, and shake my head, at which Yuffie juts out her lower lip in a pout.

I never had a need for materia, what with the multiple materia injections I received I never wanted to even look at the stuff. Though it seemed the injections were largely useless other than whatever injection caused my ability to shadow meld.

"It's a good thing ya aint got nothin or else this damm brat would have stolen it all!" Cid says and Yuffie pouts, crossing her arms. I raise a brow at the spectacle.

"You would have stolen my belongings?" I ask Yuffie surprised, and she looks at me guiltily.

"I wasn't going to steal anything!" She defends herself loudly, and Cid groans, covering his ears.

"God damm it brat! Shut the hell up!" I roll my eyes with a smile, and Yuffie perks up.

"So you're not mad?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No harm no foul I suppose." I say, and Yuffie nearly knocks me over with a hug.

"Oh man you and me are going to have sooooooo much fun together! Everyone else is waaaaaay to uptight! They just about killed me at the mere mention of me touching their stuff!" Barret grunts at this.

"An with good reason!" He says and Yuffie sticks her tongue out at him. Tifa takes this moment to pull me out of the ensuing scuffle.

"Thanks." I say, and Tifa chuckles. "No problem, they can be a bit much at times, now, you can make it up to me by helping me with the dishes." I chuckle at this, and agree to help with her task.

"I'm opening the bar tonight, I expect it to be busy." Tifa comments while handing me a dish to dry.

I nod while wiping away the water. "Are you going to ask for Yuffie's help?"

She nods and grins. "Yep, maybe it'll burn off some of her excess energy." She turns to me with slightly amused eyes.

"And sorry about Yuffie going through your stuff this morning. Shes just….Yuffie." I grin and wave a hand.

"No problem, she didn't mean anything."

We finish the dishes silently, and I feel a good amount of tension. Tifa seems deep in thought. Tifa yanks the plug on the dishwater before turning to me.

"Shard are you happy here?" I start at the question. And I look at her with a shocked expression.

"Of course I am Tifa, I think of you as my friend." Tifa pulls her dishcloth off her shoulder and folds it with a thoughtful expression, not looking at me.

"It just seems like your going through the motions, like your not really happy. Although you'll talk with us, and you'll draw and play music, your eyes always seem vacant." She says, her brows furrowing in a worried expression.

I frown sadly. Did I really appear that way? Sure I had a lot on my mind, but I never wanted Tifa to worry.

"I'm sorry, there has just been a lot on my mind." 

Tifa looks up with a watery smile. "I'm sorry Shard, its just I want you to be happy."

I pull Tifa into a small hug, ignoring my own discomfort from the contact. I doubt I would ever truly be comfortable being touched by another human being…

"Thank you Tifa, and despite how it looks, I am happy."

I wonder silently though how long my happiness is bound to last.  
><span><br>~ ~

Tifa was right in her guess that the bar would be busy…..

People packed into every inch of available space of the bar, calling over the drone of a dozen different conversations for drinks and food.

Tifa was busy behind the counter, whipping out drinks faster than I could recall their names, while Yuffie was bouncing about the bar, carrying trays of drinks and food on her head and hands precariously.

I myself was following Yuffie's example, though I wasn't crazy enough to carry a tray on my head. I used my advanced agility to maneuver the crowd, and managed to get the customers their drinks intact.

"Tifa this is crazy!" Yuffie complained when we were returning our trays to the martial artist to be refilled.

Tifa simply sighed while refilling our trays to the brim. "You'll just have to endure Yuffie, the nights almost over." The ninja threw up her hands dramatically.

"But I don't think I can carry any more of those trays! My arms are killing me!"

Tifa ignored her statement and simply pushed her trays back into Yuffie's hands, causing the Ninja to grumble under her breath in annoyance.

As we walk past the bar, a drunk man looks Yuffie up and down, his eyes drinking in her largely exposed body. I frown at his look.

"Hey Wutai!" He calls over the crowd, and Yuffie spins on her heel to glare at him. Clearly not liking being addressed based on her race.

"Ya looking for some 'local' entertainment?" He slurs a bit, his brown hair falling into his eyes. I barely restrain my self from punching the man for such a vulgar advance on my friend. I set my tray on a vacant table, preparing to toss the man out should he move another step out of line.

Yuffie's eyes shoot daggers at the man, blazing with barely suppressed rage.

"Shove it you ass hat!" She spits before stomping off to finish delivering her drinks.

The man snorts in amusement to Yuffie's anger and turns his attention to me, his eyes gleaming with both lust and alcohol.

"Well," He slurs looking me up and down, and I cross my arms. "You're not as fine a piece as Wutai over there, and your too covered up for my likein, but would you like a little 'local' entertainment?" He says with a cheeky grin.

I glare down at the drunk with contempt. "No." I answer bluntly, and as I turn my back to head back to the bar, the drunk slaps me on the butt, causing me to jump. I spin on my heel and the drunk grins cheekily at me.

From what I had learned from my time out of the lab was that women did not like to have their buts slapped. It was seen as a degrading action, meaning that the offender believed the woman to be merely an object unworthy of respect. Tifa told me that if anyone did anything like that they were to be thrown out immediately, as she would not tolerate such disrespect.

"It is time for you to leave." I order the drunk, but he simply laughs and turns around in his chair, ignoring me.

With a sigh, I grab the back of his shirt and yank him out of his chair. He topples none too gracefully onto his back, and hops up enraged. He throws a sloppy punch in my direction which I easily catch in my palm of my hand and bend back, causing him to wince though I am careful not to inflict any real damage.

"Why you-" he starts, but I do not allow him to finish. I deliver a solid blow to his jaw before planting my foot on his back, and propelling him towards the door. Two other customers hop out of the way as he topples out the doors and lands heavily out in the street. Most likely skinning his chin and hands on the pavement.

"Whoa." A familiar voice mutters, and I turn to look at Yuffie who is grinning madly.

"You totally kicked his ass!" She says excitedly, and I shrug.

"It was nothing, he was already out of line earlier, and I would have had to kick him out eventually." I say with a dismissive wave of the hand.

"But still!" Yuffie says while bouncing on her heels. How she could still be so full of energy after a night like this is beyond me.

As if on cue, Tifa calls us over, sounding stressed, to deliver another round of drinks to thirsty customers.

"Have a nice night sir." Tifa says as she practically shoves the last customer out of the bar, and slams the lock in place.

She lets out a heavy sigh and rubs her eyes. "Good god, if I hear the words 'another round' every again I might scream." She groans, and Yuffie seems inclined to agree from her place lying on top of one of the tables with a arm over her eyes.

I myself am exhausted. Over the course of the night I had to toss out seven trouble makers for, fighting, slapping Yuffie's butt, urinating into a potted plant, throwing a glass at Yuffie, trying to grab Tifa's boobs to see if they were D's or E's, trying to hit me with a chair when I deemed they had enough to drink, and more fighting.

It seems that alcohol can truly cause the most interesting of situations…..

The bar surprisingly wasn't very messy. Other than the usual spills, overturned chairs, and broken glasses it was relatively in the same condition.

"Shard, would you mind taking Yuffie up? I think she's down for the count." Tifa asks, and I can hear the quiet snores coming from the dark haired ninja.

I myself feel like falling asleep then and there, but I nod wearily to Tifa, and set to work draping Yuffie's arm over my shoulder, and hoisting her up the stairs.

The ninjas head sways back and forth as we walk but she stays firmly asleep. Every once in a while she mumbles something like, "Why are my socks nailed to the ceiling." Or "I have a magical hammer of head seeking." Or my personal favorite. "Paperclips are just the larval stage of wire coat hangers."

After dumping Yuffie onto the bed and covering her, I almost mechanically walk to my room. Realizing though that Vincent may already be asleep, I straighten up, and slowly open the door so not to wake him.

Peering in, I see Vincent already lying on the bed, apparently asleep, and fully clothed oddly enough. Though I suppose I'm not really one to talk, sleeping in long sleeved shirts and pants to hide my scars as I do.

With a yawn, I shut the door, and slump to my bed. Too tired to even remove my boots, and I fall into an uneasy sleep.


	7. Bonus Blurbs!

**AN: Just a couple little blurbs I couldn't fit into the story that mostly go over Shard's general confusion with social norms. **

"Okay, just take an egg and beat it." Tifa says handing me a bowl with an round white egg in it before turning back to mix the other cake ingredients in a large metal bowl.

I look at the egg in confusion before slamming my fist into the egg. The yellow and white contents of the egg splatter all over my face and Tifa's back and hair.

Tifa turns around slowly and I grin sheepishly at her wide eyed expression before we both burst out into laughter.

How was I supposed to know that the term "beat eggs" is not to be taken literally.

Needless to say that was the last time I cooked.

* * *

><p>"Yuffie I've been having difficulty with this Phone you gifted me." Yuffie gives me a weird look and hops out of her chair.<p>

"Well, how much have you used it?" I shrug.

"I've never used it except to do the voicemail recording." Yuffie gapes at this.

"Dude, that's like the Argonion never using Plutonium." Yuffie exclaims and I give her a confused look.

"I don't understand that reference." Yuffie rolls her eyes at my response and holds out her hand for my phone.

"Give it." She commands, and I place it in her hand. Yuffie flips it open and puts it on speaker, playing my voicemail message.

"_Hello, you have reached: _…I don't understand…Why-why do you want me to say my name?" The message is then followed by the sound of multiple buttons on the phone being pushed before the beep is signaled. Yuffie snaps the phone closed and frowns at me. I look at her oddly.

"What?" Yuffie sighs.

"Your impossible."

* * *

><p>"Ok Shard, all you have to do in this game is capture me from Marlene and Barett, and bring me back to your team of Tifa and Denzel. Got it?" Yuffie explains and I nod.<p>

Yuffie smiles brightly and runs to her teams base behind the fence. The game ended with Yuffie bound and gagged on the roof of the bar.

Clearly I didn't understand game mechanics….

* * *

><p>I hate coffee, the first time Tifa gave me a cup, I chugged it all in one gulp and ended up vomiting for over and hour. Enough said.<p> 


	8. I Can't Go Back

**VPOV**

As soon as Shards breaths become the steady slow breaths of sleep, my eyes open, and I drop the façade of sleep. Chaos chuckles in my mind as I sit upright, and watch the sleeping woman.

'**My, my, host. I didn't know you had such a fetish for watching women sleep. Isnt that a bit "rapey"'** I repress a sigh of annoyance.

'Can you not leave me be, demon?' I ask, and the demon chuckles to himself.

'**Not unless your dead and I won't allow that.' **I am just about to give the demon a mental thrashing, when Shard's face contorts in pain, and she tenses.

"Not my arm…..don't take my arm…." She mumbles in a strained voice laced with pain and fear, and I listen intently.

"Don't give me that claw….." She whimpers and her left gloved handstretches out to her side and clenches into a fist.

'**You should remover her glove, host.' **Chaos suggests, and although I am wary to invade the woman's privacy, I am more concerned about her past.

I walk forward silently, and the woman will occasionally will mumble words like "Mako, materia, saw, and lab."

I reach for the glove on her hand, and grip the edge of it in my fingers.

'**Come now, host. Hurry up.' **Chaos prods, and with one swift movement, I relinquish her hand of her glove.

I stumble back with wide eyes. I, Vincent Valentine, stumbled.

Where a forearm and hand should be was a glistening metal claw almost identical to my own except for a latch that appears to be built into the device, but I can't move my hand to examine it.

As the woman slumbers on, her clawed finger twitch and move, and feel sick.

'**Well Host. I say we've finally found you a match.' ** Chaos mocks, and I shove the demon harshly down into my subconscious. The demon laughing cruelly the whole time.

'Another experiment..' I think in disgust. I made me sick to my core to know someone suffered as I did. My stomach clenches at that thought, but my face remains stony.

Did she suffer the same experiments I did? The idea of the woman sleeping before me harboring a demon almost causes me to shudder.

I reach out towards the woman's face, and as soon as my fingers graze her cheek her eyes snap open, but she relaxes when she sees its me. Until she sees the glove in my hand….

She sits bolt upright immediately, dozens of different emotions flitting across her face.

Fear, sadness, despair, curiosity, annoyance, and finally rage. Her eyes become hard as sapphire, and she lifts her clawed hand level with me. The hatch on the claw slides back, and a device similar in design to a derringer gun pops out, aimed directly at me.

I slowly raise my hands. Not that I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to dodge her attack, more that I didn't want to cause large amount of damage or get into a fight with someone who I didn't know her capabilities.

"You're an experiment." I say bluntly and Shard's eyes narrow.

"Here's what is going to happen." She starts, completely ignoring my statement. "You are going to sit back down and not move while I walk out that door. You will not follow or alert the others." She says, her other hand, grabbing her swords from there place next to her bed without taking her eyes off me.

I don't say anything or move. If I can get my gun from its holster before she shoots me, I'll be able to cast sleep on her.

"Sit." She demands, and I step towards my bed, sitting on the edge. She takes this moment to grab her coat from its place on the dresser, taking her eyes off me for half a second….

That is all the time I need. I draw Cerberus just as she's turning around.

"Sleep." I command, the power of the spell hitting her dead on.

Shard stumbles back, but remains awake much to my surprise. "Sleep." I call again, and this time she falls to her knees, breathing heavily. I walk forward, and look down at her enraged face before casting a final time. "Sleep." This time the spell finally takes effect and she tumbles to the floor asleep.

With cold efficiency, I collect the woman from the floor and tie her securely to a chair sitting in the room with some rope from my pack before going to rouse the rest of the team.

I first awaken Cloud and Cid, Cid had been less than pleased and had thrown a boot at me, but arose none the less.

I awoke Barrett and Nanaki next who were surprisingly only mildly annoyed by being awakened. Tifa and Yuffie I awoke next and barely dodged several shruiken Yuffie threw at me.

Once the entirety of the team assembled in the bar, they glared sleepily at me.

"Damm it Vince!" Cid swore with a yawn. "I don't know how often you damm vampires need to sleep, but that doesn't mean you should wake us!" I sigh from the false assumption of me being a vampire and otherwise ignored the statement.

"It is about Shard." I said simply and instantly everyone perked up.

"Is she alright?" Tifa asked in concern.

"As well as one such as her can be." I said simply, and Nanaki gave me a knowing look.

"The hell you talkin bout Vincent?" Barrett demanded in his booming voice and Tifa shushed him.

"Currently she is under a sleep spell tied to a chair in her room."

Everyone looked at me blankly for a moment before erupting in a series of curses, exclamations, and questions.

"What the hell Vinny! You can't just tie up people!" Yuffie scolded.

"Why did you tie her up!" Tifa demanded while Cid was content to just spew out a string of curses.

Barrett was content to threaten me along with Cloud, leaving Nanaki and I the only ones remaining silent.

"She's an experiment." I said, and almost as quickly as flipping a switch, it falls quiet.

"What are you talking about?" Cloud asks, his brow furrowing into a frown.

"Exactly what I said. She's an experiment." Nanaki nods his agreement.

"It is true. The smell of mako and chemicals is strong on her." He says, and Tifa plops down onto an empty chair and rubs her face tiredly.

"Okay, maybe you should start from the beginning. What happened tonight?" Tifa directs the question at me.

"I suspected she was a product of experimentation due to Nanaki's observation." I begin slowly. "My suspicions were confirmed when I discovered she had nightmares and…." I don't know how to tell them she has a claw like myself, and the group looks at me expectantly.

I sigh. "And she has a prosthetic arm like myself." Tifa lets out a little pained gasp, and Cloud puts a supportive hand on her shoulder. Nanaki looks up at me with a solemn look, and everyone else is oddly silent.

"When she discovered that I knew about her past experimentation, she attempted escape. It took three casts of sleep to subdue her." Yuffie's jaw drops at this.

"Your sleep materia is fully mastered! She should have been out with one cast…." She says in awe.

Barrett crosses his arms in clear agitation. "So, what? Is she going to be another Sephiroth or somthin?" Barrett demanded, and Cloud rubbed the back of his neck in his nervous manner.

"I doubt it, she's a good friend, but we should definitely talk to her." He said diplomatically, and everyone gives some sign of agreement.

I start towards the stairs. "Come, she should awaken soon."

**AN: Am I making anyone OOC? Is Shard becoming Sueish? Let me know! **


	9. That's Just It

**AN: Yeah it's short. Sue me.**

**SPOV**

I groan groggily, and open my tired eyes to revel everyone in my room staring at me.

Upon seeing Vincent, I pull against my bonds, and the chair gives a whine of protest.

"How dare you!" I shout angrily. "You have no right to treat me as some kind of threat!"

Barrett crosses his arms. "Until we know for sure, we have'ta treat you as a threat." I glare angrily at the group, Cloud and Tifa in particular.

"I suppose this is what I get for trusting you." I spit, and Tifa flinches while Cloud frowns.

"Calm the fuck down woman." Cid ordered, trying to diffuse the situation, but I simply ignored him.

Nanaki takes this moment to step before me. "I understand it is difficult to trust, but you must tell your story. We only wish to help you." He says in a reasonable tone and I frown.

"I did trust you." I said looking at the group. "But being tied to a chair in the middle of the night and interrogated tends to evaporate that trust." I grumble, and Vincent steps forward.

"Where did you get the claw?" Vincent asks, his eyes blazing and I glare, my clawed fingers slicing through the arm of the chair as I clench it.

"Please Shard. Trust us, we want to help." Tifa begs, and I feel my resolve weaken slightly under the kind worried gaze of the martial artist.

"Look in my nightstand drawer." I mumble nodding towards the object in question. Cloud opens it since he's the closest, and pulls out the dog tags.

"Project Shard ID #23" He reads aloud, before turning to me with a confused look.

"Where did you get these?" He asks, and my voice and expression fall into cold emotionlessness.

"From a group called DeX." I mutter coldly and Yuffie looks confused.

"I've never heard of it." She says and I grin darkly.

"That's because they technically don't exist. They are the most secret of laboratories that Shinra had." Cloud's eyes widen at this.

"Shinra?" He whispers, and I nod.

"The late President wanted a lab that could do things even the Shinra's and Hojo's lab couldn't. DeX was completely classified, only the President knew of its existence. DeX's specimens were hand picked carefully unlike the specimens for the Shinra lab's that simply took anyone unlucky enough to stumble in their paths. They had complex computers and hackers that could unlock hospital and doctor records to find anyone with a complex or abnormality that was ideal for experimentation." I explain, and everyone has a look of concentration as they mull it over.

"That explains the who, but how does this involve you?" Cloud asks, and I frown.

"If I tell you, will you untie me?" They all nod and I sigh.

"I do not know if I was taken from outside the lab or if I was simply created there." I say with a frown, and Tifa looks at me with sad eyes.

"What did they do to you?" She asks, and I close my eyes.

"Anything and everything." I whisper, before opening my eyes and looking solemnly at the group.

"I will spare you the gorier details…I was given many mako injections, so many that I should have died, and my heart stopped on several occasions….Materia injections came next…" I shudder lightly at the memory of the glowing substance that would move through my veins like the most terrible acid.

"The scientists hoped that they could create a human that did not need materia to cast spells through theses injections, and they were….largely, unsuccessful…"

"What do you mean….largely unsuccessful?" Tifa asked quietly.

"Stand back." I whisper, before squeezing my eyes shut in concentration. I feel first the tips of my fingers start to flicker to shadow, and I hear the gasps of the group. Figuring I had shown them enough, I release my concentration, and slump against my binds breathing heavily, my hair getting into my eyes.

"As you can see, I am anything but normal…." I gasp out, and Cloud talks next.

"How did you escape?" he asks and I frown.

"I don't remember very well, but they were close to completing the experiments on me, I grew fearful of what I would become. So when they were moving me to the labs, I dispatched the guards and fought my way out. But as I said, I don't remember much." I glare at the group.

"Now if you would untie me, I really must be on my way." Vincent shakes his head.

"It may be unsafe…" Vincent starts to say, but Cloud shakes his head at him, and Tifa starts to untie me.

I rub my sore wrists when Tifa finishes, and grab my pack off the floor, moving to walk out the door, but they block my way.

"You don't need to leave." Cloud says and I shake my head.

"It was a risk to stay here in the first place, for all I know DeX could still be after me." Yuffie hops over, spinning her weapon intimidatingly.

"We'll protect you!" She boasts, and I frown.

"I do not need protecting. I have done fine on my own." Cloud comes forward at this point.

"Well at the very least you could help us find DeX." I raise a brow at this and Cloud explains.

"We try to shut down any organizations harming the planet or humans. Think of it as a job." My brow furrows in thought.

With this many people I could take down DeX instead of running from them, and other than tying me to a chair, they were pretty trustworthy. I shrug.

"If it will help take down DeX, then sure, I'll hang around."

**AN: I kind of based the whole shadow power thing on Nero's darkness abilities, although her power is insanely weak in comparison, it also weakens her when she uses it.**


	10. The Truth Is In Your Eyes

**AN: That's right. I updated. Don't forget to review! **

I frown down at the papers in front of me with disdain. Vincent and Cloud had agreed that it would make our search easier if I wrote down any details I remembered about the organization. So far it was slow going….

I remembered next to nothing when it came to locations, uniforms, and names. But to be fair I was pretty preoccupied trying to keep sane…

Cid, Barret, and Cloud in the meantime decided to meet up with Reeve at the WRO in hopes of finding some old Shinra file on DeX. Leaveing only Vincent, Yuffie, the kids, and Tifa with me. Nanaki had gone back to Cosmo Canyon to see if there were any files there.

"Maybe you should take a break?" I look up at Tifa as she watches me with concern.

I knew that out of all of them Tifa felt the worst for how I was treated by both DeX and our friends when they found out. She had been particularly mad at Vincent and had yelled at him when she thought I couldn't hear….

_***Flashback***_

Tifa shoved Vincent hard in the chest causing him to stumble back and glance at her questioningly.

"How could you Vincent?" She had said angrily, her hands tightly balled in fists as Vincent listened silently.

"What right at all do you have to judge her? You of all people should have understood!"

"I feared she could have been a threat t-"

"Bullshit!" Tifa interrupted angrily, pointing an angry finger as I watched silently from around the corner.

"It was never any of your business! Who knows what damage you've done by pushing her like you did…" Tifa rubs her hands over her face in distress, and Vincent reached out a hand as though to comfort her, but his face was torn.

"I-" He began, but Tifa just shook her head sadly.

"Forget it Vincent, just forget it."

_***End Flashback***_

I nod to Tifa mutely and push away from the papers. Walking wearily up the stairs I don't notice Yuffie until I feel her small arms wrap me into a hug. I tense and Yuffie releases me and looks at me sadly.

"Don't worry about the others Shard. You're my friend, I'll watch your back." She says in an uncharitilisticly serious tone, and I feel my heart melt for the hyper ninja.

"Thank you Yuffie." I say with a watery smile before heading off to my room, praying Vincent wouldn't be there.

It wasn't that I disliked Vincent, I understood why he did what he did, I just didn't want to see the suspicion in his eyes.

I peek in around the door frame and find the room empty and hurriedly climb up onto the roof via the hatch in my ceiling. The late afternoon sun beats down upon my face and I sigh, spreading my arms out as if in an embrace.

The sound of a throat being cleared causes me to snap back to attention, and my eyes land on Vincent who is sitting on the ledge of the roof. His gaze burns into me as I make my way over to him.

"What are you doing up here?" I ask, sitting down next to him on the ledge, but still leaving about a foot of space between us.

"….." He doesn't say anything, instead he turns his gaze back to the sky.

I fix my eyes upon the sky as well, spending my time watching the sky slowly darken with my silent companion.

"I'm not upset with you." I say breaking the silence, Vincent doesn't give any sigh to be listening so I continue.

"I accepted a long while ago that my presence would always be viewed with fear, you acted exactly within my expectations." At this Vincent turns to face me, his eyes hard.

"That is exactly why I should be sorry. I myself have no right to pass judgment." We sit looking at each other for a long while, as though trying to gain footing in each others gazes, before Vincent abruptly stands, and disappears with a flare of his cape.

"_Stop hurting me!" I cry out. My twelve year old body shaking from the strain of the mako being injected into my veins by one scientist as another slices into my skin with a scalpel. I pull against the metal bindings holding me to the surgical table fruitlessly, and the scientist with the scalpel rolls his eyes at my struggling as he brushes away a strand of blond hair leaving a bloody streak on his face. _

"_Stop squirming! You should be thankful to us! Once the experiments are completed you'll be stronger than before." He says in annoyance, and I note that if I had met him anywhere else his voice would probably sound kind. _

_I let out a shriek as yet another vial of mako is pumped into my veins and my mind is fuzzy from the pain. Was that vial the…7th?...Or maybe the 12th..._

_I can't think anymore as the surgical light switches on and I turn to see the smiling face of Doctor Jin. The other two scientists immediately snap to attention at the appearance of their superior. _

"_What's its status?" Jin asks, snatching a clipboard off of the table at my side. His large round glasses glare in the bright light causing me to squint. _

_The other scientists ramble a large number of surgical and scientific terms I don't understand and I shudder from the cold and burn of mako in my veins. This doesn't escape Jin's notice._

"_Oh, is my little specimen cold?" He asks in a sugary sweet voice, and being the naïve 12 year old I am, I nod a yes, hoping for some kind of reprieve from my torment. Jin grins evilly._

"_Some fire materia injections should fix that…"_

_~Dream end~_

A gasp escapes my throat as I wake up, and I hurriedly scan my surroundings. Finding nothing but the darkness of my room and Vincent's empty bed, I relax slightly. I don't want to have anyone see me like this.

I run a hand through my sweaty bangs before pulling my legs up to my chest. Small quivers still ran through my body and I couldn't help but look around the room more than once, expecting Jin to materialize out of the shadows.

For the rest of the night I simply sit on my bed and silently cry.

**AN: Yeah it's been a while since I updated but honestly I have been busy with collage and stuff. So was this chapter any good? Send me a review. **


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